Romanian Monarchs

A history of Moldavian, Wallachian, Transylvanian, and Romanian voivodes, knezes, princes, domnitors, and kings.

Note that Hungarian names are written as [Family name] [Given name].

Principality of Moldavia

Charles I expanded to the east and established the Voivodeship of Moldavia as a buffer vassal against the Golden Horde. Dragoș, voivode of Maramureș (as elected by the local knezes) was appointed to this office. His son Sas and grandson Balc inherited the seat, but the latter was overthrown by Bogdan I, who rebelled against Louis I to establish an independent Principality of Moldavia.

Peter I vassalized Moldavia to Casimir III. The principality then briefly returned to Hungarian vassalization when Louis I inherited Poland. Peter II offered fealty to Jadwiga rather than Mary.

Moldavia remained a vassal of Poland until John Hunyadi's conquest in 1448. There would be constant battle for control of the territory (three discontinuous reigns of Alexăndrel; three discontinuous reigns of Peter III, and the reign of Bogdan II; invasions by Hungary and Tatars) until Stephen III solidified control in 1457.

Bogdan III vassalized Moldavia to the Ottomans in 1514. The Commonwealth would repeatedly invade into Moldavia over the following

Principality of Wallachia

Hungary struggled to keep the voivodeship of Wallachia under control. It was susceptible to Golden Horde incursions and even more remote than the voivodeship of Moldavia.

Basarab I successfully revolted against Charles I. This may be the source of Bessarabia's name

Kingdom of Hungary

Within the kingdom of Hungary, Transylvania was a powerful voivode. This was a princely title held by the ispan of Feher, reflecting the elevated status of the voivodeship over all other counties.

Following the death of Louis II and the Ottoman conquest of Buda, voivode John I was crowned in Szekesfehervar. His claim was contested by the Habsburg emperor Ferdinand I, who was crowned in Bratislava with support from Hungarian nobility. John I became a vassal of the Ottoman Empire. The capital was moved to Alba Iulia.

In the 1540s, Suleiman reorganized the Ottoman-held Hungarian lands into pashaliks.

As a result of the Ottoman's relative tolerance toward religions, Catholicism began to be supplanted by Protestantism (especially Calvinism) in non-Habsburg lands. Isabella made freedom of religion a legal right in Transylvania.

Principality of Transylvania

In 1570, John II would renounce his royal title. Transylvania became a principality, still a vassal to the Ottoman Empire.

Gabriel Bethlen briefly reigned as king of a mostly-united Hungary.

John Kemeny (Kemeny Janos) rebelled against the Ottoman Empire and plead for assistance from the Austrian Empire. The two empires instead began eating away at the principality from both sides. Critically the town of Oradea (then called Nagyvarad) was captured in 1660 by the Ottomans. In 1699, the principality was formally ceded to the Habsburgs.

In 1765, Maria Theresa raised Transylvania to a grand principality, effectively separating it from Hungary.

During the revolutions of 1848, Hungarian nationalists demanded a reunion of Hungary and Transylvania (among other things). Following the suppression of the revolution, this was executed as a concession. Furthermore, as part of the Austro-Hungarian Compromise, direct Hungarian rule over Transylvania resumed.

The Treaty of Trianon ceded Transylvania to Romania.

Ottoman Vassalization

The principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia remained as vassals to the Ottoman Empire. Administratively though, they were governed as part of the sanjak of Silistra, which later was elevated to an independent eyalet.

This territory was contested between the Ottomans and Russians through the Russo-Turkish Wars. In particular, a Moldavian region referred to as Southern Bessarabia was ceded to Russia in 1829 and reorganized as the Bessarabia Governorate. The remainder was subject to Russian military occupation, though still as an Ottoman vassal.

The revolutions of 1848 were expressed here as Danubian nationalism, which the Ottomans and Russians jointly suppressed.

Southern Bessarabia was ceded back to the Ottomans following the Crimean War and included in the reformed vilayet of Danube.

Principality and Kingdom of Romania

The election of Alexandru Ioan Cuza as prince of both Moldavia and Wallachia created a personal union. This was cemented in 1862 with the declaration of the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, which raised Cuza to domnitor. He was deposed in 1866; Carol I was elected the new domnitor, a new constitution was written, and the principality's name was officially changed to Romania.

The Treaty of Berlin granted independence to Romania and raised it to a kingdom, although it was compelled to cede Southern Bessarabia to Russia in exchange for Dobruja.

The Treaty of Trianon ceded Transylvania to Romania.

Dynasties

TODO: need to mark which principality the dynasties held power in; also need to add Wallachians

Bogdan

Szapolyai

In July 1527, Ferdinand I invaded Hungary to briefly recapture Buda from the Ottomans and overthrew John I in Transylvania.

John I made a deal with Suleiman the Magnificent to recapture the kingdom of Hungary as a vassal. By 1529 he had regained power; ensuing peace treaties would formally divide lands between the Habsburg Royal Hungary and the kingdom of Upper Hungary and Transylvania.

This history was repeated twice after John I died in 1540. His wife Isabella reigned as regent for their infant son John II. (She was the eldest daughter of Sigismund I, king of Poland and grand duke of Lithuania as well as a member of the Jagiellon dynasty which briefly held power in the kingdom of Hungary.) They was overthrown by an Austrian army then restored by an Ottoman army, all in 1541; they were overthrown by an Austrian army in 1551 and restored by an Ottoman army in 1556.

Bathory

Following the death of John II, voivode Stephen was crowned. Gaspar Bekes (Kornyati Bekes Gaspar) contested his reign up to 1576, when a succession crisis in the kingdom of Poland and grand duchy of Lithuania was settled with Stephan marrying Anna (another daughter of Sigismund I and heiress to the Jagiellon dynasty). He then reigned in Transylvania in own right, and reigned in Poland and Lithuania jure uxoris.

Sigismund married into the Habsburgs and, given the increasing encroachment of Ottoman invasions, repeatedly abdicated his principality to the Habsburg king of Hungary Rudolf I (more commonly known as Rudolf II of the Holy Roman Empire) or his brother Andrew.

Following the death of Stephen Bocskai in 1606, Gabriel contested the principality; Sigismund Rakoczi abdicated in 1608.

In retaliation for the invasion of vassalized realms, Ahmed I had Gabriel assassinated.

Draculesti

Between October 1599 and September 1600, Michael the Brave was the de facto prince.

Bocskai

Stephen led a revolt against Rudolf I (more commonly known as Rudolf II of the Holy Roman Empire) in 1605.

Rakoczi

Sigismund succeeded Stephen Bocskai.

Sigismund would abdicate in favor of Gabriel Bathory (Bathory Gabor). Following the death of Gabriel Bethlen in 1629, Sigismund's son George I was elected prince.

George II would face retaliation from the Ottoman Empire for an unsanctioned invasion of the kingdom of Poland. Brief appointments of Francis Rhedey and Akos Barcsay interrupt his reign, and he is ultimately killed in battle against the Ottomans in 1660.

Francis II began a rebellion in 1703 against Habsburg rule. He reigned as prince of Transylvania from 1704 until 1711.

Bethlen

Gabriel had been a close ally of Stephen Bocskai in his uprising against Rudolf I. In 1613, Ahmed I deposed the Bathory dynasty and installed Gabriel as prince of Transylvania.

After Gabriel died in November 1629, his wife Catherine briefly reigned. His brother Stephen overthrew her in September 1630 but resigned after just 60 days.

Rhedey

In 1657, George II Rakoczi (Rakoczi Gyorgy II) invaded the kingdom of Poland without seeking permission from the Ottoman Empire. In retaliation, Francis Rhedey (Rhedey Ferenc) was briefly installed as prince.

Barcsay

After Francis Rhedey (Rhedey Ferenc) abdicated in favor of George II Rakoczi (Rakoczi Gyorgy II), the Ottoman Empire again intervened and installed Akos Barcsay as prince.

Kemeny

Amidst the war between Akos Barcsay and George II Rakoczi (Rakoczi Gyorgy II), John Kemeny (Kemeny Janos) proclaimed independence from the Ottoman Empire and plead for Austrian intervention. He overthrew Akos, but was quickly overthrown himself by the Ottomans.

Apafi

After the Ottomans put down the rebellion of John Kemeny (Kemeny Janos), they installed Michael I Apafi (Apafi Mihaly I) as prince.

In 1692, Michael II Apafi (Apafi Mihaly II) was summoned to Vienna and imprisoned. He was forced to cede Transylvania to the Habsburgs.

Thokoly

As a military commander in the Ottoman Empire's waning war to retain Hungary, Emeric Thokoly (Thokoly Imre) was briefly made prince of Transylvania.

CategoryRicottone